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I'm a Nintendo n00b (but I love my WiiU), and I was wondering which Zelda game I should start off with as someone who has 0 experience with Zelda at all. I know of the games, but I've never owned a Nintendo device until now.

Honestly I would probably have to say Ocarina Of Time (I know it's almost the cliché answer to this question). I had tried other Zelda games prior but it was Ocarina Of Time that really got me into the series.

I found the game well paced and imaginative. The controls were great, lots of secrets and side tasks. I feel it's the one game that embodies everything that is good about The Legend Of Zelda.

Then what should gamers do? Wait years? See this is exactly why I don't understand why emulation and homebrew get a bad rap. If Nintendo would already offer these games then there would be a greater incentive to buy such vc games. If anything licensing and other costs just take too long. Right now the Wii U VC should be offering nearly 50% of the wii's vc.

You should probably see the series' roots first, which means starting with a top-down game. Don't start with the first one, though; while great for it's time, it's very confusing and hard to know what you're supposed to do next. I suggest you start with "A Link to the Past." It's currently available on the Wii Mode VC.

As an older gamer, I'm probably a bit biased. There are certain games in the series that just hold a special place in my heart that may have more to do with what was going on with me at the time than the game itself. None the less, here are my opinions. I've left out the handheld ones, although I loved those all as well. I definitely think playing one of the console ones first is the best idea, and you did mention having a Wii U :D

2D Zelda

The Legend of Zelda(First one for the NES) - I think this would be hard in this day and age for a newcomer to the series. You'll be lost a lot, and might find it a bit frustrating. Come back to this one later if you've played a lot of the others and want to get to the roots of it.

Ocarina of Time(N64) - At the time, a lot of people were worried about Legend of Zelda making the transition to 3D. They thought it wouldn't work. This game shut everyone up. It was amazing. It was an adventure like nobody thought possible at the time. Now? Well, it's aged well for those with fond memories of it, but I think if it was your first Zelda game, it might seem slightly dated to you. It's worth noting that it was remade for the 3DS with updated graphics.

Majora's Mask(N64) - Very similar to Ocarina of Time, but a bit of a departure in game mechanics. I won't spoil it for you, but I think if you're going to play this one, you should play Ocarina of Time first.

The Wind Waker(Gamecube) - When this was announced, everyone hated the cartoon graphics and there was a lot of uproar. In restrospect, I think most people realize that Nintendo did the right thing and love the game. Personally, it's one of my favorite Zelda's ever, if not my favorite of all time. It's currently being remade for the Wii U in HD, and if you want to wait for that, I think it'd be an amazing first Zelda experience.

Twilight Princess(Gamecube/Wii) - The Twilight princess was a great game, but for me there just wasn't a lot new about it. It doesn't stand out in any major way, but that doesn't make it bad. It'd be a solid first choice for you.

Skyward Sword(Wii) - Skyward Sword seemed to have a lot of people divided. Some loved it, some hated it. It's the first Legend of Zelda to go full on with the motion controls, and while it did a good job with them, at times it came off a little cheesy. This wouldn't be a bad first choice, especially if you want to swing around a wii mote a lot. Personally though, I'd make this one your second or third.

I think anyone who played OOT on the N64 itself when it came out will agree with you that twilight princess was nothing special. I imagine in 5 or 6 years all the people that grew up with TP being their first game will view it with the same nostalgia we children of the 80's and 90's do.

I really loved TP and it was very well received by reviewers. It's a very long game and I was shocked at thinking I was near the end only to find I wasn't. There were many great moments in that game, to call it nothing special is very unfair. It may not be as good as OOT but it's close.

I think anyone who played OOT on the N64 itself when it came out will agree with you that twilight princess was nothing special. I imagine in 5 or 6 years all the people that grew up with TP being their first game will view it with the same nostalgia we children of the 80's and 90's do with oot.

I think of TP as very unique... It's like the adventure of OoT blended with some difficult and dark themes like MM with the fun fighting mechanics of WW. And it was realistic. It brought all of the best aspects to the table... As long as you were playing with a GC controller it was great. Wii controls made me want to throw up though

Well, two things I think really changed my perception. First was I did GC version before wii version, the way it was supposed to be initially, and it felt right. second, I picked it up again AFTER playing skywardsword and that memory probably overshadows any memory from 2007 playing it.

Mm the first one I played was Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (i think it was DX, not sure)

it was on Game Boy -- the music was amazing, gameplay had a bunch of secrets and was fun, too, and it was just a classic game

But if you can't get your hands on that game, I would recommend Twilight Princess -- you can prolly find it for cheap on the Wii and it was a fun Zelda with memorable bosses and exciting gameplay and great music as well

ocarina isn't the best in the series, but it's a great pure zelda experience. majora's mask is hardcore and has a mechanic that takes over the game - it's imo better than ocarina, but i wouldnt recommend it to zelda necomers because it's a unique butterfly

Best experience: Ocarina, Link's Awakening, Majora's Mask, A Link to the Past, the Oracle games, Skyward Sword (although I personally hate it, some people found it to be a good game), The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass (the first bad game, but whatever), Minish Cap, and Twilight Princess (GCN, if possible).

I know this is /r/wiiu, but I need to show the handhelds some love. There's Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages for GBC (which recently hit the 3DS eShop), Link's Awakening for GBC (also on 3DS eShop), Minish Cap and Link to the Past for GBA, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks for DS, and Ocarina of Time 3D for 3DS.

Zelda games don't really follow any continuity. You can play them in any order and you won't miss anything. Zelda games are all different interpretations of a common theme, so no two are alike, but all of them are similar. As far as "where to start," there's really nowhere to go wrong, unless you pick up the original Legend of Zelda or Zelda II: Adventure of Link, which are both very rough around the edges, or the non-canonical Zelda CDi games.

I'd say you have two choices. You either follow the timeline and go from start to finish starting with Skyward Sword or play the bigger releases in the order they were released.

I'd start with Link to the Past and then go Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Majoras Mask, Twilight Princess, and then Skyward Sword. That hits all the main console versions and should provide a great experience in each game.

You can also visit /r/zelda although avoid certain posts for spoilers!

Probably gonna get ptichforks for saying TP as 3D myself, but TRUST ME on this one, if you play it first you will enjoy it a lot more than the losers who thought it was "too similar" to OoT. It improves on every aspect of Ocarina of Time's gameplay, has a kickass sidekick character, and is just a plain great game.

If you must start with Ocarina for some reason, try to play the 3DS version instead.

Might not be the most popular answer, but Skyward Sword is the game that got me hooked on the series. I had owned Twilight Princess before, which I love now, but never got into it because it has a slow start, and SS is a better intro to the series than TP. Other than that, Ocarina of Time and Link to The Past would be a close #2 and #3 choice.

Everyone has their favourites. For me, it is EAD3's newest title, Skyward Sword. However, all of them, or at least the ones I finished, have been spectacular. The only exception being Zelda II, which is too difficult for me.

Start with the original then go to the perfected version of top down zelda games, A Link to the Past. From there Play ocarina of time then Skyward Sword (then go back and play Wind Waker because it is different)

My first Zelda game was A Link to the Past, if you want to really nerd out you can follow the official Zelda timeline and play them chronologically, choosing which of the three timelines to follow. Regardless of which one you chose, they are all amazing, but OOT takes the cake for my all time favorite (along with many, MANY, others)

I think someone asked this last week but nevermind. The problem is, if you only have a Wii U, you don't have many options right now. I would suggest starting with Ocarina of Time (OOT) or Zelda III:A Link to the Past (LTTP). Neither game is available for the Wii U but both are available on the Wii Virtual Console. The downside to that is you can't use the gamepad on Wii VC titles, so you'd have to buy a Wii Classic controller and a Wiimote to play any SNES or N64 games. Alternatively you could just wait for those games to turn up on the Wii U VC.

If you just can't wait you can play the two Wii Zelda's now. Of course you'd need a wiimote plus and nunchuck as well. I preferred Twilight Princess but some people prefer Skyward Sword. If you don't have a wiimote get a wiimote plus rather than the original wiimote. Some games require the plus.

Windwaker HD is coming out in a few months though, it doesn't require any extra peripherals and a lot of people will be talking about it and playing for the first time. You'll also have Miiverse integration which would be pretty handy in a Zelda game.

Whatever happens you've got a lot to look forward to. The Zelda series is my favourite in gaming history. If you're interested there's a zelda sub at /r/zelda

Skyward Sword is great, as long as you like motion gaming, which some people don't. Twilight Princess and Wind Waker are also terrific. I feel Majora's Mask is in many ways the most brilliantly conceived, but I won't recommend it as a first choice because it's got an atypical structure and gets to be a bit of a slog as you get into it.

I know this is heresy, but I stopped playing Ocarina after a few hours; I just could not get into the game. It may become wonderful eventually, but I feel it starts slow.

BTW, since you're new to Zelda I'll mention the games tend to all start slow, except for Majora's Mask.

I'd start with Wind Waker, get the HD version when it comes out. Then try out twilight princess and later skyward sword. I'm not saying ocarina first because it's not too accessible compared to newer zelda games, and while it is good I don't think it's a good first time player zelda game.

I would try Link to the Past or Skyward Sword first. People will tell you to try OOT first because it was one of the first big 3D games, but it's just not as good as some of the other ones because they were still getting their footing.

If you like the 2D, I'd try Minish Cap or the Gameboy games after that. If you liked the 3D, Wind Waker or Majora's Mask~

DON'T start with the older games, you probably won't appreciate them as much and here's why:

If you're a nub to nintendo you probably didn't start playing video games until the play station at earliest. That means you're probably more accustomed to modern gameplay and story development. While I love the retro zelda games, I also know that gaming has come a long way since the NES and super nintendo. OOT is my favorite, but if we're being honest twilight princess and skyward sword are better games in almost every aspect. Start with something from your generation that you can appreciate, and move your way back if you enjoy them. Twilight Princess is probably a good place to start, as skyward sword was a bit unconventional when compared with the rest of the series.

If you are an old school gamer and love the retro stuff, Link to the Past is great, Ocarina of Time is also the most common pick for greatest game ever made for a reason.